Yesterday, during Brazil’s World Cup squad announcement, a lot of the discussion was naturally centred around Neymar, and rightly so, as I also spoke about in my last post, but there was another interesting detail: Bento being left out, despite being almost unanimously viewed as the third-choice goalkeeper. And I have to ask: did that grotesque mistake against Al Hilal influence Ancelotti’s decision?
I watch every Al Nassr game and, therefore, every match Bento plays for the club, and honestly, at no point did I ever feel he had the level required for the Brazilian national team. But the truth is, he was going as the third option and, having been part of the cycle, it still made sense for him to be included.
When he played for Brazil, he never truly impressed anyone either, but again, he was only the third-choice goalkeeper. And then suddenly, in the very next squad announcement after that huge mistake against Al Hilal, he is left out? It feels like too much of a coincidence, or maybe not. To me, it seems pretty clear that it played a role.
Instead, Weverton goes as the third goalkeeper. He was Palmeiras’ goalkeeper, lost his place for a period and is now performing well again at Grêmio. He is 38 years old, probably will not play and I highly doubt he will see any minutes, but he brings experience and leadership. And that raises another question: would Hugo Souza not have made more sense? Especially because of penalties, for example. Because, being honest, none of the other options are specialists in that area.
Conclusion
Bento’s mistake was costly. Seconds from the end, it cost Al Nassr the victory, a place at the World Cup and possibly even the Saudi Pro League title. And it is not the first time he has struggled in big matches, you can clearly see that he feels the pressure. This time, he paid heavily for it.